Printable Version - Looking back at the Ferguson Township Police Department's achievements in 2017

January 11, 2018

Looking back at the Ferguson Township Police Department's achievements in 2017

Arrests
In 2017, Ferguson Township Police investigated and obtained arrest warrants for two of the three men suspected in the West Aaron Drive Uni-mart robbery, and arrested a man in the SPE Credit Union robbery and Wal-Mart bomb threats. His co-conspirator in the crime was arrested in Virginia.

Saving Lives
Officers made 51 DUI arrests, administered Narcan (Naloxone) to save the lives of four individuals who were overdosing on drugs, and investigated 13 deaths, including a drug overdose.

Safe Driving Education
Police made residents aware of a marked increase in distracted driving and school bus violations, as well as aggressive driving enforcement details, which led to a decrease in violations.

Emergency Response
Police responded to 18 calls related to the severe weather Monday, May 1. Pine Grove Mountain was shut down for a few hours as the result of downed power lines on the road. One man was trapped in his car for two hours until the downed power line on his car was confirmed as depowered.

New Chief, New Officers, Accreditation
The Ferguson Township Police Department named Chris Albright its new chief, hired three new officers and promoted two within its ranks, and on May 24, achieved accreditation from the Pennsylvania Law Enforcement Accreditation Commission.

Community Relations
Ferguson Township Police also hosted its annual Bike Rodeo to teach bike safety, participated in the Pennsylvania Special Olympics Torch Run and Buddy Walk, helped staff Camp Cadet for youth who want to explore a career in law enforcement, and performed a child safety seat check at a Township school.

New Technology
In addition, the department installed new tablets and printers in each patrol vehicle, and installed TraCS (Traffic and Criminal Software) in each tablet. TraCS allows officers to create and file citations electronically.

By the Numbers: Calls for Service and Statistics
Every month, the Ferguson Township Police Department publishes statistical information about crime in the Township in a format prescribed by law. You’ll find up-to-date statistics for January - December of 2017 and dating back to 2014 here on our website.

Ferguson Township’s low crime rates tend to follow state and national trends.

The reporting program Ferguson Township Police participates is called the Uniform Crime Report (UCR) and is designed to provide information about crime trends and volume based on the reporting of statistics by law enforcement agencies throughout the country. The program is administered by the Pennsylvania State Police for Pennsylvania and by the FBI for the nation.

The International Association of the Chiefs of Police established the UCR program in 1930.

Part I reports calls for service about the eight “most serious” crimes: Criminal Homicide, Rape, Robbery, Assault, Burglary, Theft, Auto Theft and Arson. Part II reports calls for service about “less serious” crimes, including 18 categories—Forgery, Drug Violations, DUI, Disorderly Conduct, and All Other Criminal activity. As crime has changed over the years and new criminal laws have been passed, the “All Other” crime category has grown to approximately 200 types of crime.

In Ferguson Township in December 2017, there were 0 reported homicides, rapes, robberies, auto thefts and arson, 2 reports of assault compared with 3 in December of 2016, 2 burglaries compared with 4 a year ago, and 5 thefts compared with 12 in December of 2016.
In all, the department made 194 criminal arrests in 2017, compared with 214 in 2016.

In addition to the UCR report, the Ferguson Township Police Department also compiles other calls for service. Non-crime reports are account for the largest number of calls for service. The summary shows the department’s response to traffic crashes and other incidents, alarms, suspicious activity, lost and found property, missing persons and runaways, and animal complaints. In addition, the FTPD performed 174 school checks and 15 car seat checks in 2017.

During the first snow event, the department responded to 16 traffic incidents, including 10 crashes, and issued nearly 100 parking tickets for snow parking violations (leaving cars parked on the street after a snowfall of two or more inches).